Reg AlcockPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board

Mr. Speaker, it is really important to understand that what the minister is doing, as the Minister of Transport is charged, is working back and forth across the country on behalf of the Government of Canada and the people of Canada and making decisions on the use of the transportation resources. He has done that in this case.

Mr. Speaker, a recent study revealed that almost 30% of 15 to 17 year olds and 47% of 18 to 19 year olds have used marijuana in the past year. It is easier to get marijuana on to schoolyards than it is to get cigarettes and alcohol. Yet the government is putting forth legislation that will decriminalize marijuana.

Does the government really believe this is the right direction for the youth of our country?

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. We are concerned with the youth of the country. Therefore, we propose legislation for the purposes of decriminalizing a younger generation, but making the point that marijuana use remains illegal and will continue to be illegal. We have done this with the drug education program warning about the hazards of marijuana use, and now with toughened legislation with regard to the control of marijuana.

Mr. Speaker, this month a man was beaten to death with a 2x4 outside a townhouse in a city in my riding. Two of the offenders were in parole violation, and one of these parolees has just been charged with rape and incest.

The government continues to allow violent and dangerous offenders out of prison and back on our streets without rehabilitation or monitoring.

How can the government claim to be protecting public safety, when it cannot keep tabs on its violent offenders? When will the Liberals put an end to the revolving doors in our prisons?

Anne McLellanDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, first, we have a corrections and parole system that is one of the best in the world. However, I have indicated that I am willing to undertake a review of aspects of our parole system. The parole board may need more resources to do its job. I am more than willing to have the justice committee of the House of Commons take a look at this issue.

I have been very clear that our goal is public safety. If the system is not maximizing our commitment to public safety--

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleagues know, “The Responsibility to Protect” is the title of the final report of an expert panel struck by Canada to study the issue of humanitarian response.

Our objective is to ensure that the international community has both the tools and the will to respond to future tragedies such as the ones in Darfur and Rwanda. Our efforts are starting to pay off. Now, we are hoping that the United Nations will adopt the principles as its own. The Prime Minister, our officials and I are striving to achieve the necessary consensus on this objective in support of the responsibility to protect.

Mr. Speaker, next week Canada's Prime Minister has a chance to do right by Canadians.

Small communities in my riding have been desperately waiting for years now for the U.S. to lift its illegal tariff on softwood lumber. The courts have ruled, and industry knows it is coming. What is the government waiting for?

Will the Minister of Industry advise me on what to say to the families in my communities who are losing their homes because of Liberal inaction? Will he commit to go to the wall for them and demand that the Americans drop these tariffs and return 100% of the money they have illegally taken from British Columbians?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade has continued a wide strategy over softwood lumber, which is paying off for Canadians. We absolutely want to resolve the softwood lumber dispute that we have had with the United States for a long time. It is clear that the Prime Minister will raise it next week when the President visits us. I certainly have the intention of raising it with Secretary of State Colin Powell as well.

We will continue to fight for the softwood lumber producers of British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, producers across the country.

Mr. Speaker, there are 43 garment manufacturers in my riding who want to keep their jobs in Canada, but they will close their doors if the Minister of Finance does not sign the duty remission orders which are sitting on his desk right now. Two separate unanimous reports from the finance committee directed him to sign these duty remission orders, as well as the Senate committee on banking.

Will the Minister of Finance sign these duty remission papers before they expire on December 31 and save thousands of Canadian jobs all over Canada and Quebec?

Mr. Speaker, I am fully aware of the timing considerations involved in this matter. I have received numerous representations from all aspects of the textile and apparel industry in Canada. I have received particularly strong representations from members of the government caucus who are extremely concerned about this situation. Obviously, decisions have to be made before the end of the year, and they will be.

On October 5 the minister stated that no jobs would be lost or services cut while the government finds a 5% savings in all departments. While this search for savings can be lauded, how does the minister justify recent and pending layoffs at the Coast Guard in the north and in Prescott, which will leave people out of work and vessels with no emergency coverage in Canada's Arctic?

Mr. Speaker, the expenditure review process of the government is not about cutting. The process is about reallocation. It is about looking at everything the Government of Canada does in a fresh and reinvigorating way to ensure that we are relevant, that we are excellent and that we address the priorities of this century, not just the priorities of the last century.

Mr. Speaker, in 2002 the Canada Revenue Agency skated into Saskatchewan. It was there to audit and to tax unpaid amateur hockey players on the money that was being paid to billets to feed and water the players. The Liberals ended up in the penalty box when a fight broke out. They stopped the audits, but they will not change the policy. I have introduced a private member's bill to correct this injustice.

My question is for the finance minister. Will he move ahead of my bill? Will he immediately move to amend the Income Tax Act to protect Saskatchewan junior hockey players and amateur athletes across Canada?